Imperial Army
The Imperial Army is a branch of the Imperial Military that has the primary responsibility of conducting ground-side military operations under the oversight of Army Command. It was formed by re-organizing the Grand Army of the Republic and kept its previous command structure. One of the Army's most common duties is the maintenance of planetary garrisons throughout Imperial territory, as well as waging war on all who would stand against the Galactic Empire. Numbering in the tens of trillions at its height under Palpatine, the Army utilizes a wide range of equipment and vehicles in support of its infantry. Army units are often reinforced by Stormtroopers, although the command structure for the two organizations is separate. On garrisoned worlds, the Army operates in conjunction with Imperial Starfleet, stormtroopers, and the local constabulary to maintain order and security. =Organization= Combat, Command, and Support As with the rest of the Imperial Service, the Army makes a strong distinction between “combat elements”, and “command elements” or “support elements”. Any commander, even a sergeant, is considered part of the "command element" and isn't counted among the troopers, despite the fact that they are expected to take part in the fighting. Since unit commanders are considered supernumeraries, the average size of an Imperial Army formation tends to have a larger headcount than an equivalent strength formation would have in the Grand Army of the Republic. Augmentation The uniquely Imperial concept of 'augmentation' is intended to allow the rapid integration of reinforcement units into an existing force while minimizing the number of (relatively scarce) senior officers required. On a small scale, augmentation can be compared to unit “attachments”, while on a larger scale it can be compared to an active cadre for reserve divisions. For example, a squad can be augmented with another squad, in which case the sergeant of the first squad is given the brevet rank of "lead sergeant." More often, squads are augmented with a heavy weapons detail. Doctrinally, platoons follow the same augmentation process as larger units, but in practice are far more flexible, often swapping units with other platoons or fielding extra equipment taken from the parent company. Divisions The Imperial Army has several divisions to make a clear command structure for the massive Imperial war machine. Listed below are the basic types of divisions within the army, but there are specialized versions of almost every kind of division – a squad that specializes in heavy weapons for example – and any grouping can be augmented as the mission requires. *'Squad' Each squad consists of eight Imperial Army troopers and is commanded by a sergeant. The eight troopers are assigned numbers one through eight, with number one being a brevet corporal and second-in-command. *'Platoon' Platoons are commanded by lieutenants, assisted by a Sergeant Major as deputy. A platoon consists of four squads, giving it a strength of 38 men, although this varies depending on the kind of platoon. *'Company' A Company consists of four platoons for 152 troops. The additional command and logistic staff raises the personnel count to 180 men. Companies are the smallest units where staff is integrated in the form of specialized medical, technical, and logistic sections, as well as an executive officer also in charge of intelligence. A captain with a staff of four lieutenants is in command of the company. *'Battalion' A Battalion is commanded by a Major and considered the smallest military unit appropriate for surface operations. Command and support elements are pooled together and, unlike company command elements, stay out of the battle zone. The size of the support staff is double that of a company and includes five staff officers equal to a captain in rank. *'Regiment' A Regiment is a combined arms formation containing approximately 2,500 troops and 1,000 support personnel and commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel. The structure and staff complement are the same as a battalion's, but with more droids. Usually the regiment's headquarters commands the troops from orbit, unless command continuity is disrupted or the unit is engaged in a long term (over one month) or independent campaign. *'Battlegroup' Battlegroup formations are intended for major offensives and have sufficient strength to assault one major or several lesser points of resistance on a planet. A Battlegroup's commanding officer is typically at least a High Colonel, although it is possible for them to be as senior as a Major General. A Battlegroup has the usual principle staff of five officers of a rank of a major, but in addition has a 4-man "substaff". The staff has a total of 188 support personnel and is protected by two security platoons of 76 troopers. *'Corps' A Corps is commanded by a Major General and considered a sufficient force to retake a a recently-seceded world. Each Corps HQ is extensive, with five staff officers each of which have their own two staff officers. Security for the HQ is provided by a company of 152 men plus six extra perimeter platoons of 38 men, each commanded by the general. The remainder of the corps HQ has 388 support personnel including one Imperial Intelligence operative and 50 ISB agents. While both are charged with gathering intelligence, the former often provide fifteen to twenty percent of the intelligence used by the corps while the latter also function as political officers. The corps HQ also forms the basis of the Imperial garrison of a world. For garrison duties the HQ contains numerous civilian personnel, including medical, diplomatic and scientific personnel, who are in practice, if not technically, under the major general's command. An industrial complex with over 2000 droids is frequently attached to a corps HQ as well. The complex is capable of producing almost all of the items required by a corps, from blaster packs to repulsorlift engines, using even the crudest raw materials. So long as the complex is kept running, the corps can operate without resupply indefinitely. *'Army' An Army is commanded by a full General. The support element of an army is as large as two battalions for a total of 1,855 men and twice as many droids. It has five staff and ten substaff officers, a security company (152 men) and six independent perimeter platoons (total 228 men), 200 ISB agents for intelligence or counter-intelligence, 4 Imperial Intelligence representatives and 784 support personnel. An Army will usually have one of each type of Corps and is meant to fit into a naval troop squadron. *'Systems Army' A Systems Army is commanded by a High General and consists of anywhere from two to six armies. They are organizationally separated from the Surface Army and corps HQ, over which they have oversight. Systems armies are primarily bookkeeping formations, and the only force directly attached to a High General's command is the headquarters unit, which has the same strength as an army HQ. The primary function of a systems army is to deploy reinforcements and naval support to its other armies rather than to fight as a single unit. *'Sector Army' A Sector Army can be commanded by a Moff or delegated to a Surface Marshal. A sector army can have up to eight systems armies under its command and is supposed to fit within an Imperial Assault Fleet. The total numbers of a sector army are 774,576 troopers, 405,733 support personnel, 66,640 repulsorcraft and 13,922 heavy tanks. Its HQ element is of the same size as that of an army or systems army (1,855 men total). =Army Units= Although the Imperial Army works closely with the Stormtrooper Corps, the corps isn’t a division of the army itself. As such, the Imperial Army has its own selection of troops that it can call upon when needed. *'Imperial Army Trooper' - The baseline soldier of the Imperial Army. *'Imperial Commando' - An elite special forces unit considered to be the best of the best. *'Imperial Army Pilot' - The pilots responsible for the operation and maintenance of all the vehicles used by the Imperial Army. =Notable Divisions= *'11th Battle Group' - A large fleet commanded by High General Teron Helstone, generally sent to quell trouble spots within the Empire. **'Hellion Company' - An elite mixed-unit division within the 11th Battle Group; informally known as Helstone’s Hellions. *'88th Armor Regiment' - One of the most successful armored regiments in the Empire, which also has one of the lowest mortality rates. *'112th Repulsorlift Armor Regiment' - An elite tank division known to fight to the very last unit; also known as Hell's Hammers. =Vehicles of the Army= Land Armor Walkers *AT-AT Walker *AT-TE Walker *AT-AR Walker *AT-PT Walker *AT-ST Walker **AT-ST/A Walker *Mountain Terrain Armored Transport *MT-ST Walker Tanks *[[1-H Imperial-class Repulsortank|1-H Imperial-class Repulsortank]] *[[1-L Imperial-class Repulsortank|1-L Imperial-class Repulsortank]] *[[1-M Imperial-class Repulsortank|1-M Imperial-class Repulsortank]] *[[starwars:2-M_Saber-class_repulsor_tank|2-M Saber-class Repulsor Tank]] *S-1 FireHawke Heavy Repulsortank *TIE Crawler *TIE Mauler *TX-130T Fighter Tank Other *Compact Assault Vehicle/wheeled PX-10 *Heavy Assault Vehicle/repulsorlift A9 Floating Fortress *Heavy Assault Vehicle/repulsorlift C10 Siege Tower *Heavy Assault Vehicle/wheeled A5 Juggernaut *Heavy Assault Vehicle/wheeled A6 Juggernaut *PX-4 Mobile Command Base *Tracked Mobile Base Speeders *64-Y Swift 3 Repulsor Sled *74-Z Speeder Bike *Chariot LAV *Infantry Support Platform *Repulsor Scout *Storm Skimmer Patrol Sled *SV-50 Swift-Strike Speeder *Swift Assault 5 Hoverscout Transports *Armored Personnel Carrier *Heavy Assault Vehicle Transport B5 Juggernaut *Imperial Troop Carrier *Reconnaissance Troop Transporter *Unstable Terrain Artillery Transport Automated *DSD1 Dwarf Spider Droid *Mark 1 Droid Walker *XR-85 Tank Droid Support *AT-CT Walker *Tracked Shield Disabler Sea *A-Q5 Waveskimmer *Aquatic Terrain Armored Transport *Aquadon CAVa 400 *Explorer Submergible *TIE Fighter Boat Air *Imperial Dropship Transport *Lancet Aerial Artillery *Multi Altitude Assault Transport *Rapid Deployment Airspeeder *TIE Ground Targeting Artillery Mobile *440 Super-Heavy Armored Chassis w/ v-188 Penetrator *AT-AA Walker *G-003 Tri-Tracker *SP.9 Anti-Infantry Artillery Vehicle *Self-Propelled Medium Artillery *WW-676 Repulsorlift Sled w/ MobileMortar-3 or E-Web Heavy Repeating Blaster Fixed *Bp Turret Series **Bp.2, Bp.4, & Bp.5 *DF.9 Anti-Infantry Battery *m-68 Planetary Magnapulse Cannon *v-150 Anti-Orbital Ion Cannon *w-165 Planetary Turbolaser *XX-10 Turbolaser Tower =Sources= *Wookieepedia ArmyCategory:Military Groups